Repetition is the key to successful advertising

If you've ever wondered why TV advertisers repeat the same advert – or versions of it – for weeks or even months at a time, then the tried and tested benefits of repetition is your answer.

Repetition in advertising works – and it really does work – on the assumption that people who are busy and distracted by day-to-day worries need to be exposed to a message multiple times to make it stick.

To put it another way, to make your brand and business register in the minds of your target audience, advertisers know that its benefits need to be repeated multiple times.

The use of repetition has many specific benefits in advertising over and above generally raising awareness, notably building credibility, increasing brand familiarity and the holy grail of being a keystone in any successful campaign to make sure your business is viewed as the local expert in your field of excellence.

So how does each of these work?

Credibility: You may think it would be hard to build credibility through advertising but it is one of the first results that comes from repetition advertising. It's as simple as people trusting in what they know, and each time they see your business's message delivered in a professional way, say once a month, that reinforces their instinct that you are an established and trustworthy company that they in turn can trust, not a new fly-by-night.

Brand Familiarity: People love brands - just think of Apple and how people are willing to camp outside in all weather for days simply to be one of the first to get their hands on the latest must-have product as soon as it is released. Creating familiarity with your business can help take away any fears about what the customer experience will be, and additionally will make it easier to retain a customer once you have won them

Local Expert: Becoming the local expert at what you do is a huge benefit of repetition advertising.

We would recommend a regular campaign to fewer houses rather than a one-off campaign to a large number of houses. This way you can really focus on your target customers and ensure over a period that you become the local expert in your industry - and their natural go-to choice when they need the product or service you are offering.

So, to recap, if you've ever wondered why TV advertisers repeat the same advert – or versions of it – for weeks or even months at a time, then the tried and tested benefits of repetition is your answer...